Nocturne Notes – Christopher Leeper

Nocturne Notes Christopher Leeper Night Wharf     14 x 18″     Acrylic     © Christopher Leeper   In our 2020 Voices of Experience interview with Christopher Leeper, we noted his facility with multiple mediums—watercolor, oil and acrylic. He has used all three mediums in his nocturnes as well, but says that acrylic seems […]

Thomas Nast and the Santa Claus We Know Today

Share: by Cynthia Close Santa’s Portrait (above), a color illustration by the noted German born American political cartoonist Thomas Nast, appeared in an 1881 edition of Harper’s Magazine. It is credited with being the first image to establish all the visual elements we associate with America’s version of Santa Claus we […]

Free Drawing Lesson #1: Pencil Sharpening

The first three lessons in my Intro to Classical Drawing course are posted free here on my blog, so you can get a feel for the type and quality of training you can expect from all my online instruction. Welcome! Classical drawing starts with a specific way of sharpening our […]

Beautiful Strangers – KALTBLUT Magazine

A KALTBLUT exclusive. Photography by Johanna Kirsch. The model is June. Styling by Sandra Hemmink. Make up by Jesse Strickwerda. Brands used are Carla Renèe Loose, Don Aretino, Naomi Taras, Scan Studio x Adddress, Ost Won x Adddress, Balenciaga, Cop Copine. “I’m a young photographer and director based in Berlin. […]

MAKING A MARK: PAOTY Commission

I thought the programme about “Painting Sir Lenny Henry” – the £10,000 National Portrait Gallery Commission of Sir Lenny Henry, painted by the winner of Portrait Artist of the Year 2022 – was one of the best commission episodes ever in the history of the programme This is a review […]